Risk Revolution

Risk Revolution

Welcome to Risk Revolution! The goal of this series is to advance the maturity of risk management practices within the industry, by covering topics that challenge quality professionals to seek opportunities to improve and advance the ways in which they perceive and manage risk. The hosts for this series are Nuala Calnan, Valerie Mulholland, and Lori Richter.

  1. 30 JAN

    Risk Thinking: From Tools to Judgement

    In this episode, the hosts take a hard look at one of the most persistent challenges in modern quality risk management: why risk thinking feels natural in everyday life—but becomes so difficult at work. Moving beyond familiar tools like FMEA, heat maps, and scoring tables, the discussion explores what real risk thinking looks like in regulated environments—and why over-reliance on templates can sometimes suppress the very judgment and curiosity needed to manage risk effectively. Key topics include: Why completing a risk tool doesn’t necessarily mean risk has been managed The difference between risk analysis and risk-based decision-making How compliance pressure, audit defensibility, and organizational culture shape behavior What “good” risk-based decisions look like when information is incomplete Practical ways teams can talk about risk without pulling up a template The importance of humility, uncertainty, and learning from real-world outcomes The episode also connects today’s challenges to the evolution of ICH Q9 and the industry’s broader shift toward Quality Risk Management—asking whether the original intent has been lost along the way Show Notes: Risk management basics: what exactly is it? David Hillson Risk Doctor  Lori's upcoming PDA West Coast Chapter Event  Article: Steps Towards Demystifying Risk-Based Decision Making (Valerie Mulholland and Anne Greene  Valss Course on RBDM.... http://www.gmp.ie   Val’s 8 steps to better Risk Thinking in RBDM

    46 min
  2. 30/10/2025

    Stability Under Pressure

    LIVE from the Q1 Scientific Conference in Co. Kildare, Ireland, Nuala and Val, alongside guests Declan Lowney and Dr. Mark Powell, unpack how the Life Science industry is evolving its approach to pharmaceutical and medical device or combination product stability. With faster product cycles, complex supply chains, and new science on degradation, we are asking - is your stability strategy ready for what’s next? Declan Lowney, Director of Stability Sciences in Analytical Development - Biologics within Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine R&D, provides technical leadership in stability science and enhanced expertise in stability-related ICH and Regulatory guidance. Declan joined J&J in 2006 and has supported the commercial approval of over 10 products. Before joining J&J, Declan has over 10 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry across a broad range of areas, including R&D, QC, QA, Regulatory Affairs, and Pharmacovigilance, and is also a QP. Dr. Mark Powell is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) with over thirty years’ experience as a senior analytical chemist. Mark has served as both Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer of the RSC’s Analytical Division and led a working group on continuing professional development until July 2016. He has worked at a senior level in several companies with responsibility for analytical development and equipment qualification. Link to the Q1 conference https://conference.q1scientific.com/

    52 min

About

Welcome to Risk Revolution! The goal of this series is to advance the maturity of risk management practices within the industry, by covering topics that challenge quality professionals to seek opportunities to improve and advance the ways in which they perceive and manage risk. The hosts for this series are Nuala Calnan, Valerie Mulholland, and Lori Richter.